Scarred
by Evershine of FrostClan
Summary: The story of Brightpaw's experiences being attacked by dogs, as told by me. This is probably not what the Erins had in mind, but oh well. Rated T for violence and gore.


**Scarred**

"Swiftpaw, wait up!" I call in vein. My fellow apprentice most likely didn't hear me. He never acts like he does, at least, and that's all the proof I need. My muscles are already screaming in pain, but I just push them harder, urging myself to catch up with the tom in front of me. Once I do I shove him to the side and he topples over.

"Hey!" Swiftpaw shouts at me. "What was that for, Brightpaw?"

I stick my tongue in his face. "That's for not listening to me when I scream in your ear," I spit, sitting down beside him.

He hops up. "I thought we were together in this thing!" he shouted.

I roll my eyes. "Well maybe if you listened to me every once in a while…" I trail off; the faint whiff of an odd scent flutters into my ajar mouth. "What is that?" I ask. Swiftpaw sniffs the air and shrugs.

"Dunno," he growls, "but we'd better follow it." I nod and follow him once again as he hops up and heads for the scent.

We end up in the center of Snakerocks. Swiftpaw glances around- I think he's looking for rouges or something, but I doubt rouges caused that awful scent.

Just then I scent prey, but only faintly. I turn towards the cave, and sure enough, the scent is coming from there. I'm too afraid to go in, so I walk around the cave entrance a safe distance away. I see a small glimmer of reflected white. "Prey bones," I murmur to myself.

"Swiftpaw!" I hiss quietly. "Swiftpaw, I see prey bones!"

He quickly turns, eyes sparkling with a mixture of fear, courage, and what appears to be joy as well. "Where?" he calls to me loudly. (even though he's practically right next to me)

I shove my tail in his mouth; though at the moment I'd much rather claw his eye out. Does he not understand that there is the threat of a predator here? Perhaps it is a fox, though it could be a badger- oh, I wonder what's worse than that! Of the tales I've heard of badgers- those huge black and white creatures that supposedly make your fur stand on end and get your skin crawling- I know meeting one wouldn't be the best thing that happened to ThunderClan.

Swiftpaw spits out my tail with a disgusted look and I whisper-hiss, "Swiftpaw, we don't know what in StarClan is out here. Stop being so naïve!"

My clanmate just replies in a casual, _loud_, tone, "Now what would make you think that?"

I glare at Swiftpaw so hard that I think I'm drilling a hole in his head. "There are _prey bones_ in the cave. There is an _unfamiliar scent_ coming from the area. In addition, _**we have no idea what we're looking for but those signs**_. How can you sit there and act as if nothing's the matter? I say we go back to camp before we get hurt. We can report our findings. We're already in trouble I'd think; Fernpaw seemed itching to get out of the room and report what we're doing."

He sighs angrily. "If that's what you think," he growls in a deadly soft tone, "then I suppose you just _want _us to get in trouble." He jumps on my back- I think his claws were extended, but I'm not going to take a chance, so I push him up from under me.

Swiftpaw hops back up on his legs, but it looks like I might've hurt his left front paw. I'm about to stop and declare fighting a stupid idea. Suddenly he lunges straight for me and topples me over. We're locked up by our own claws and teeth. I really hope neither of us gets too badly hurt.

Suddenly a low growl comes from the cave entrance. Thinking it's Bluestar or Fireheart, we both stop immediately stop and face the source. The only odd things are that the source is the cave.

And there's a huge, sneering creature instead.

It yowls something- pack?- and more appear in the cave opening. "Pack, pack. Kill, kill." They chant menacingly. This first one (most likely their leader) snarls and lunges at Swiftpaw. I know immediately by the way Swiftpaw gets hit that we won't be winning the battle. Fear overcomes me, and I hardly notice when another creature attacks me. Suddenly pain slaps me in the face and I blink, only to find myself looking into the eyes on the creature as it prepares to grasp my neck with its huge jaw.

At the last moment I roll to the side and the thing has a face of dirt. I slide out of its grip and slash at his eyes. He yowls and runs away, only to be replaced by two more. I search the rock-covered terrain but see nothing but rock and fur.

I jump up as the things claw at me. One successfully rakes its claws down my side and the other slashes me on my left hind leg. I gasp in pain but land on one of their backs. I dig my claws into its shoulders and it yowls in pain while I rake my claws down its back. It begins running for the cave, so I jump off of it and turn to my other attacker. It was gone too- that's when I see Swiftpaw. His whole body had scratches on it, and he was breathing heavily. _Swiftpaw got it, didn't he?_ I think.

There are only a few left, but that counts the leader of the "pack." I shriek as a claw rakes down my tender back. I turn around to see who other then the leader. His movements are faster and more precise then those of the other creatures, and I soon feel overwhelmed by pain, hope, and to wrap it all up I'm just plain scared.

I finally fall when I feel his claw slowly carving its mark down one of my eyes. I think I saw that on Swiftpaw's chest. It must be a death mark. I squint my one unharmed eye to see the thing's tail vanishing into the cave's darkness. Swiftpaw lies near me, but I'm horrified as I realize that he doesn't appear to be breathing. I don't have time to think, though, because just as quickly as I was brought into life, I think I'm slipping out again. _Please, StarClan,_ I think, _if this isn't my last moment in life, I never want this to happen again._

xXxXxXxXxXx.:Scarred- end of part one:.xXxXxXxXxXx


End file.
